Effective July 1, 2025: Expanded Worker Protections Under Equal Pay and Opportunities Act

Jun 3, 2025
Beginning July 1, 2025, Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) will include expanded protections beyond gender to cover additional protected classes. Dentists who employ staff should review and update their hiring, pay, and advancement practices to ensure compliance with the updated EPOA rules. WSDA has created a compliance checklist resource for members.

Beginning July 1, 2025, Washington’s Equal Pay and Opportunities Act (EPOA) will include expanded protections beyond gender to cover additional protected classes such as race, creed, sexual orientation, veteran and military status, disability, and more. These updates, implemented through Substitute House Bill 1905 and finalized by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), are intended to strengthen pay equity and ensure equal access to advancement opportunities for all workers.

The newly adopted rules under WAC 296-123 provide clarity on several key employer obligations, including requirements to disclose wage scales and benefits in job postings, prohibit inquiries into prior salary history, protect employees’ rights to discuss wages, and safeguard against retaliation. Importantly, these changes also expand L&I’s authority to investigate and cite violations based on any protected class.

As a reminder, the requirement to include wage scale and benefit information in job postings applies to employers with 15 or more employees. This threshold has not changed with the new rules. All other provisions of the law, including protections from discrimination and retaliation, apply regardless of employer size.

Dentists who employ staff should review and update their hiring, pay, and advancement practices to ensure compliance with the updated EPOA rules.

WSDA Member Resource: EPOA Compliance Checklist

WSDA has created a downloadable EPOA Compliance Checklist for Dental Practices to help members evaluate readiness before the July 1 effective date.

Log In to Access the Checklist

The checklist is intended to serve as a resource only. Members are encouraged to consult with their legal counsel to ensure that all employment practices and policies align with current laws and regulations.

Visit the L&I rulemaking page to stay informed of official updates and the L&I EPOA resource page to access employer guidance resources, pay calculation tools and more.